2.1

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
74,139 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 BMW 535 seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2008 BMW 535 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #22

Feb 152022

535

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The passenger seat occupancy sensor stopped working. On the NHSTA website I found where BMW offered a 15 year warranty for this part. What was the negotiation with NHSTA that BMW offered this warranty? It is warranty SI B01 01 18. My car on the list is the E60 and E61 with option 456 (Comfort Seat). BMW refuses to honor this warranty and want to charge me $2,700 to repair this. Note that the front passenger seat is rarely occupied. Why should this part fail prematurely?

- Granite Bay, CA, USA

problem #21

Oct 022021

535

  • miles
The vehicle front passenger seat sensor MAT (SRS) failure. This is a safety-related issue. The same item was recalled for prior years' models. A recall should issued be for this model and and year.

- West Bloomfield, MI, USA

problem #20

Apr 032019

535

  • miles
The North american BMW had recalled the 2004-2006 bmws with the faulty passenger seat occupancy mat, as they had a recurring problem of failing. BMW stated that they "improved the quality of materials, and fixed the problem", but it seems that other BMW owners still have the same problem including myself. My BMW about 4 months ago had the passenger seat occupancy warning light come on, and I am very disappointed that they "fixed" the issue, but most likely instead of actually taking the time to improve their product, they probably just slapped a new label on it and called it a day. And what even more annoying is the cost of replacement parts, which alone cost upwards of $900. You would think that for $900 the past wouldn't have a propensity to break. The newer models that still have this problem should be covered under recall or at least have a reduced price to compensate for the poor craftsmanship of a product known to fail.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #19

Apr 192019

535

  • 87,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

87,000 miles warning light passenger air bag not engaged and may cause damage. Quoted $1800 BMW certified mechanic to replace, fix. Looking for recall as many others experienced the same. Was told that you can't tell whether the airbag will inflate or not. Against the law to disconnect the light. Unable to diagnose without taking the seat apart.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #18

Jan 272019

535

  • 180,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 535xi. The contact stated that the air bag indicator illuminated. An unknown dealer and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called the manufacturer and was hung up on. The failure mileage was 180,000.

- Brockton, MA, USA

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problem #17

Jul 132018

535

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 535xi. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator remained illuminated, which was a safety concern. The vehicle had not been diagnosed by an independent mechanic or a dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

- West Suffield, CT, USA

problem #16

Jul 092016

535

  • 89,700 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

At C. 89,000 miles - warning: "driver side air bags malfunction". BMW dealer, rockville, md, wants $660 to tell me if it's a real problem with the bag, and/or its housing and/or only a faulty sensor sending an incorrect message (!!) following that suspicious drill they can then fix it - a couple hundred dollars if it's only a sensor, much more $ if it's something else. Car moving or not, the warning remains on.

- Etchison, MD, USA

problem #15

Oct 282017

535

  • 3 miles
I was driving and bumped up against a sidewalk curve and my airbags deployed as well as my car shut off. It will not start another more and the hood underneath was on fire. (smoke was present).

- Hyattsville, MD, USA

problem #14

Oct 162017

535

  • 90,000 miles
The passenger seat occupancy mat failure light indicator is on. Brought back to the BMW dealer, service technician stated that it is a recurring problem for BMW. But service would cost $2,300 to fix. I asked if it is a recurring problem, then it is a defect. BMW should fix the problem free of charge as I see in other recent recall announcements like last month for the BMW X3.

- Haymarket, VA, USA

problem #13

Mar 012016

535

  • miles
Takata recall. BMW is not doing enough to rectify the situation. I received a notice in March & 5 months later BMW dealers still do not have the parts to repair the airbags. How is it that this is acceptable?

- Roslyn Heights, NY, USA

problem #12

Oct 012015

535

  • 165,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car has an passenger restraint error that does not go away. The car fuel gage does not work either

- North Potomac, MD, USA

problem #11

Oct 142015

535

  • 110,000 miles
Restraint system malfunction lights on dash and warning on the nav screen goes on whenever someone sits in the passenger seat.

- Grand Rapids, MI, USA

problem #10

Apr 232013

535

  • 97,000 miles
April 2013, BMW dealer #1 (seller) was told by selling dealer that restraint system malfunction light just came on hours before delivery.. was told to bring car to a dealer in my state and they will fix it, no charge since car is still under manufacturer extended warranty; May 23, 2013 BMW dealer #2 (service) restraint system malfunction ligh is on.. dealer #2 advised that BST cable was sliced, hence warranty does not cover the repair, which was $1,000. June 12, 2013 BMW dealer #3 (service) went to dealer #3 for second opinion, surprised with totally different diagnosis and fixed for $117.. below is the actual dealer findings and fixed;,,,, 93398 sporadic fault ran, short test, connected charger 12.31V, ,,, faults active head restrain firing circuit, fault occurence 1, fault, ,,, currently not present inspected connections and lines, checked, ,,, measured resistance as seen by modual, within spec. Cleared, ,,, fault memory September 2014 BMW dealer #3 (service) restraint system malfunction ligh is on is back.!! took it back to dealer #3.. this time diagnosis was that the BST cable is corroded due to water in the rear vent in the battery area.. BST cable needs to be replaced and cost $919.98. Summary: April 2013 dealer #1 states, restraint system dealer fix, no charge. May 2015, dealer #2 states BST cable got sliced, $1,000 repair June 2013 dealer #3 states head restraint firing circuit, fixed it for $117 Sept 2014 dealer #3 now states BST cable got corroded, $919.98 to repair why are their findings of the problem are so inconsistent??

- Marysville, MI, USA

problem #9

Apr 152015

535

  • 104,000 miles
I had the passenger restraint malfunction error show up on my vehicle's dash in 2013. At that time, the dealership replaced some module in the driver's side headrest. Not sure why would they have a replace a module in "driver side" when the error is in "passenger side." But I didn't argue and let them replace it and paid $400 for the privilege. Now again in April 2015, same error is happening. First the dealer (BMW of cleveland, solon, oh) couldn't find the problem for 2 days. But when I told them about the history of the vehicle, they say that now the whole driver's side headrest needs to be replaced and the cost is a whopping $700. The car shows problem in passenger side, and dealer says driver side headrest needs to be replaced. This is preposterous! looks like the dealer is trying to scam me on this. Is there any recall on this?

- Sagamore Hills, OH, USA

problem #8

Dec 172014

535 6-cyl

  • 101,000 miles
2008 BMW 5-series vehicles have the same issue as recalled 2004 - 2006 BMW 5-series vehicles in regards to the front passenger seat occupant detection mat malfunctioning. The seat occupancy mat is faulty on 2007 & 2008 models as well. The consequence is that the passenger air bag will not deploy even in the event of a severe crash. Why were 2007 & 2008 bmws not recalled already..."!?!? what is being done to recall 2007 & 2008 BMW models that use the same parts as 2004 - 2006 models...?!?!"

- Cedar Hill, MO, USA

problem #7

Dec 132014

535 6-cyl

  • 68,000 miles
Vehicle is station wagon variant of 535. The station wagon has a poor design where the panoramic sunroof (standard equipment) is gutter prone to clogging, and water which enters the passenger compartment accumulates in an electronics well under the cargo floor unknown to the driver. This water corrodes connections to a number of electronic modules and damages the modules themselves when submerged. There are many affected functions which can be disrupted, but critically sensors which affect whether the passenger seat is occupied. An incorrect determination of passenger side seat occupancy could either cause the airbag to deploy with an underweight passenger or cause the airbag not to deploy when a passenger is present. My vehicle recently had these modules submerged and it appears to not be an uncommon problem - particularly for the station wagon variant.

- Los Gatos, CA, USA

problem #6

Oct 132014

535 6-cyl

  • 105,000 miles
My 2008 BMW 535I is suffering from the same passenger restraint system malfunction error as the earlier BMW models. NHTSA information I've read indicates that the passenger airbag will not deploy in the event of a substantial front end collision, which poses a significant risk to passengers. BMW only recalled model years 2004 - 2006, however. This is not an isolated incident to those years. My 2008 BMW 535I throws the error every time I drive with or without a passenger. Both the passenger side seat belt light and the passenger side airbag light remain illuminated any time the key is in the ignition. What is being done about more recent BMW models?

- Cedar Hill, MO, USA

problem #5

Jul 272014

535

  • 88,800 miles
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 535I. The contact stated that the navigational system advised that the front passenger restraint and air bag was malfunctioning. The dealership advised that the VIN was not included in the manufacturer's air bag improvement campaign. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was manufacturer 88, 8000.

- Clinton , NC, USA

problem #4

Jul 272014

535 6-cyl

  • 90,461 miles
I received a warning message "restraint system malfunction!" for no reason and it says "pass, restraint system - fault in passenger-restraint system affecting airbag, belt tensioner or belt-force limiter" etc.

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

problem #3

Apr 082014

535 6-cyl

  • 72,097 miles
Passenger restraint malfunction light is on is there a recall.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

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